No Spring Chicken

It’s a precarious existence, standing guard all alone, but the playground duck has endured yet another Arctic winter while remaining relatively intact. His head, if not his shoulders, is still well above the snow, though he is sporting a few extra scuff marks on his skin of chipping paint. It’s a sad reality that harsh elements are only part of the challenge he faces each winter. The drifts that build up around him have proven to be an irresistible sort of obstacle course for snow machine riders looking for an airborne thrill. Skidoo tracks are clear evidence that poor ducky has been ploughed over on more than one occasion. Thankfully, he is flexible and still appears to be attached to his base, but I’m skeptical about his fate as snow removal season draws near. If skidoo riders are oblivious to his plight, I’m not sure that snow pushers will be any different. So I’m paying tribute to my little friend while he’s still firmly planted. He has served faithfully (if unconsciously) as a visible weather indicator for the last six months. Hopefully, he’ll make it through break-up without a break-up of his own!

Symbiosis?

A snack-craving boy needs money in his pocket, a stir-crazy dog needs to get out of the house, an exhausted dog owner needs a few moments of dog-free tranquility in her life. A symbiotic relationship? I'm thinking...definitely yes!

Wintering with an energetic, two-year-old, lab mix that thinks the world is her own personal chew toy makes the challenge of living in the Arctic seem like a walk in the park...in spring...eating an ice cream cone.

Excavating the doghouse has been long overdue. Some time apart will be good for everyone involved, even if only a few minutes each day. The exhausted dog owner will be able to talk on the phone, work on the computer, or (dare we hope?) eat a meal in relative peace. And the stir-crazy dog will be able to sit in the sun, bark at any and all passers by and...well...live to see her third birthday!

Of course, the excavation required a hefty chunk of change. Even a snack-craving boy doesn't come cheap these days. But, I must admit, he wasn't nearly as expensive as, say, my almost new hiking shoes...or my handmade beaver mittens. Too bad I didn't think of that a little sooner.

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The snow removal was actually started last week when the borough came by with a dozer...or some other kind of snow pushing machine. They moved as much of the drift as they could without hitting the connex, my fuel tank, or the doghouse. They actually did think they'd hit my porch (I got a phone call at school). It turned out that they had just scraped up a piece of plywood that was on the ground in front of my porch. No harm done. (Whew!). By the time I took these photos, my snack-craving boy had already shaved a foot and a half of snow off the top of the doghouse and had dug out an opening to the doorway.



The connex is a storage container that was converted into an apartment. I just use it for storage, but since the doors open on the end, it's not usually accessible in the winter without a lot of effort. This time the effort wasn't mine. And it was worth every penny!



Anybody need a, size seven, almost new, (right foot) hiking shoe? I seem to have one that I can't use anymore.



I also have a (right hand) beaver mitten without a mate. Although, I may be able to repair the damaged one...I'm not sure.

Look at that nose creeping into the photo! She's got some nerve, huh?

Just One More...

This was my favorite photo from my recent trip to Barrow. Somehow it got detoured in cyberspace en route to Flickr. So, I'm tacking it on now, substantially after the fact. Hmm. Is that really tacky?